Tenant Times Two
Tenant Times Two is a short story that was written based on a request to make a story about a "heavy sleeper". It takes place in the world of Tiny Castle, where the knight goes to confront the wizard to try and convince him to leave the castle. Text Silence was shattered the moment the knight stepped through the door. The creaking of loose floorboards refused to hush, even as he tiptoed ever so quietly past the glorious fireplace in his finest silver armour. At the far end of the room, he could see the wizard lying snug underneath the purple covers of the wooden canopy bed. A pointy blue night cap bent its tip up and down to the metre of the old man’s snores. “Well forget being quiet,” the knight muttered under his breath. His footsteps picked up the pace; he could sense the restless creatures scurrying on the floor below. The knight’s plan had been formed hastily upon his return to the castle. Seeing his precious living space filled with needless traps and pets left him fully appalled. Even his own bedroom had become a sleeping haven, none of these things which he had given consent to. All the princess needed was a place to stay, right? Now that he thought of it, she probably held bags of money behind her back while making her so-called “urgent” request. What started out as careful footsteps rapidly amplified to a storming rampage as the knight barged over to the wizard’s bedside. A small snore escaped through the old man’s lips as he ruffled the fine purple covers and turned to face the wall. Fed up with his own patience, the knight spread two armoured hands over the wizard’s exposed arm and rocked it back and forth. “Hey!” the knight yelled, though his voice almost immediately suppressed the shout to a whisper. He continued his shaking until the sleeping man finally began to respond. Tossing the covers wildly like a cat pursuing a yarn ball, he ultimately resumed his slumber resting on the opposite shoulder. The knight frowned, irritated that his attempts were unsuccessful, but he was not prepared to give up so easily. “Wake up!” he spoke a little more urgently. One hand was cupped around the outside of his helmet while the other carried on with the quaking motion. “Hey! You awake yet?” The wizard snorted, repositioning himself until he lay again on his back. His beard shone in the fiery light with the glaze of sleep drool. The knight threw his hands up in exasperation. If only there was a bucket of cold water lying around, he thought as a realisation almost immediately washed over him. Flood damage on the journey to his bedroom forced him to swim through several pools of water. If he could find a way to contain that water, perhaps with his helmet, he could douse the wizard with it. As the knight started on his way out the door, a floorboard suddenly gave way, slightly tipping downwards at one end and popping up on the other. He paused, staring at the phenomenon with a puzzled expression. “Not another step!” a voice commanded. The knight turned to see the wizard standing inches away from him, scepter gripped firmly in his right hand. The knight narrowed his eyes through his slit helmet. “I didn’t think the princess would bring so much trouble when she asked for a place to stay.” He saw the wizard’s neck stiffen at the word “trouble” as the old man lowered his scepter ever so slightly. “So you’re the uncanny visitor causing such a racket in this structure. I see my silence spell has finally worn off, and so has my sleep.” The knight crossed his arms. “I’m the landlord. And by my terms, your stay here breaks Princess Odessa’s contract, of which I’ll remind you she signed flamboyantly with you as the witness.” He enunciated the last three words with strong emphasis as he motioned to the nearby open door. “So if you could please kindly see yourself out sir; I have your granddaughter to rescue and evict.” “Oh, I don’t plan on leaving this bedroom for a long while,” the wizard replied. “I haven’t gotten a good six hours’ shuteye until I came here!” He looked back at the bed with its tousled covers. “Despite the noise mishaps…but at least the bed is comfortable.” “Your granddaughter has damaged my castle’s interior from the ground up,” the knight said, trying to bring the focus back to the princess. “Fires. Floods. Shifting of floors. Collateral damage. And you, especially you. I can see clearly now that Your Highness has overstayed her welcome.” “Collateral damage? Nonsense!” The wizard chuckled, pacing next to the hearth. “Those are just little precautionaries we took to keep intruders out, nothing more!” “This castle already comes with its pre-installed traps outside the castle, as you would have read in the contract. Giant metal maces swaying is overkill!” The knight pointed a finger at the wizard. “Now, the traps have taken Odessa captive and believe me – I would keep it that way, but I think a long night sleeping on the streets would serve her needs and yours a lot better.” He turned and started walking towards the door to resume his princess rescue when he heard a loud grunt coming from behind him. Facing the wizard, it was obvious that he was struggling to lift his scepter. “Do you…need some help with that?” the knight asked, a sudden edge of concern to his frustrated voice. Orange droplets of sweat began to bead the wizard’s forehead against the light of the flames. “Err, no thanks. I need the exercise,” the wizard answered, panting. Upon the fifth attempt, he managed to raise his scepter high enough to emit a red light from its amulet. The shifting of floors resounded through the wooden boards then came to a grinding halt. “This should fix things up enough for you to save Odessa and talk some sense into her,” the wizard said, his voice flat but firm. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some much needed sleep to catch up on.” He trudged back to the bed, mumbling a few words under his breath before burying himself under the covers once more. Based on the wizard’s demeanour, the knight sensed that his actions did not match his words, but decided that persisting him further would only worsen the damage already done. Upon passing through the exit, he closed the door slowly and let out a sigh. Three floor serpents greeted him with blood red eyes. A chest sat on the ledge just out of jumping height’s reach. The knight groaned in frustration, gazing back at the closed door behind him. “At least he improved the aesthetics,” he grumbled optimistically, reaching for his sword. Category:Stories